Benedict Places Third, Paulsen Fourth as Northwestern Debuts in Kansas

WICHITA, Kan. – Mariaha Benedict placed third at the Friends Open as Northwestern made its women's wrestling program debut.

Benedict earned six wins on the day, rebounding from an opening-round loss to reach the consolation final at 131. She was dominant through the next stretch of the bracket, winning by fall in her next three and getting revenge on her first-round opponent with a 13-2 tech fall. She then pinned Gwendolyn Jewell of Missouri Valley in 20 seconds to reach the third-place match, where she won by fall in 1:09 over Graceland's Miah Kenny.

Riley Paulsen worked her way to a fourth-place finish after reaching the championship quarterfinal at 145. She then rattled off four consecutive wins to reach the third-place match, falling to Avrey Taylor of Murray State.

Sadie Smith won two bouts by fall to go 2-2 on the day, while Eunice Reyna Yoc also pinned her opponent in the first round.

Up Next: Northwestern will compete in the Bultman for the first time in program history, hosting Dakota Wesleyan on November 12.

Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut

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Players Mentioned

Mariaha Benedict: Freshman

Riley Paulsen: Freshman

Eunice Reyna Yoc: Freshman

Sadie Smith: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Mariaha Benedict
: Freshman

Riley Paulsen
: Freshman

Eunice Reyna Yoc
: Freshman

Sadie Smith
: Freshman